Washington Post Blogger Apologizes to Rush Limbaugh

Radio show host Rush Limbaugh speaks at a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, in this June 23, 2006 file photograph.

Rush Limbaugh called a Washington Post blogger’s opinion “bitchy”–but it’s the Post writer who is now apologizing. Limbaugh, who has lost a ton of advertisers in the wake of calling Georgetown Law School student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute,” said he will not allow AshleyMadison.com, a site that helps support extramarital affairs, to advertise on his radio show. Washington Post humor blogger Alexandra Petri, in a column titled “Rush Limbaugh’s show targets jerks, judging from the latest ads,” had alleged that AshleyMadison and Seekingarrangement.com would advertise on the show. After hearing that, on his Thursday show Limbaugh went on the attack: “We are not running spots from this company that tells you how to cheat on your spouse, we never have, and when we find out that they’re running on local stations, EIB affiliates, we call the affiliate and we ask them not to. Nor will we ever accept such advertising, because you are not jerks. You in this audience are among those who make this country work.” He continued, “Now, the people that run Ashley Madison are out saying they’re willing to advertise on our program. There are stories and advertising blogs about this, but we have not accepted it. Right here in the Washington Post. [Alexandra] Petri, I don’t know who feeds you your information — I have a pretty good guess — but you might want to double-check here because you’ve written something that’s patently false, it’s an out-and-out lie complete with your bitchy opinion in it, and it is untrue. ”

In a response titled “Sorry, Rush Limbaugh: A response from the writer he called ‘b-i-itchy’” Petri apologized to the radio host for getting her facts wrong. “My piece yesterday stating that AshleyMadison.com and SeekingArrangement.com were the only new companies to be advertised on Rush Limbaugh’s show was wrong,” she wrote. “They want to be on his show, but Limbaugh said today that he won’t let them.”

She also added “Speaking of jerks. Limbaugh listeners, I am sorry for calling you jerks yesterday. Yesterday I had no proof. I should have waited until today, when your phone calls and tweets (‘Ivy league preppy elitist no talent hack’) gave me ample evidence.”